in the state of new york, environmental organizations are fighting for access to clean water and clean air for their communities despite obstacles created by the pandemic. food & water watch, a national nonprofit founded in 2005, works on a variety of environmental issues including industrial pollution, the spread of diseases by factory farms and the privatization of water.

“we work very closely with some wonderful groups in buffalo that were contending with, you might say, an epidemic of water shutoffs that became particularly acute with the pandemic because of the absolute imperative for people to be able to wash their hands,” said new york senior organizer eric weltman. 

as millions of people all over the country lost their jobs during the pandemic, many were unable to pay rent or their utility bills, resulting in widespread water shutoffs. in june, new york gov. andrew cuomo signed a bill banning utility shutoffs until march 31, 2021, at the latest. this landmark piece of legislation is one of many that food & water watch has lobbied elected officials to pass. 

another of the organization’s major goals was realized in 2014 when cuomo banned fracking in new york state. however, this has not prevented the construction of other fossil fuel projects including pipelines and fracking power plants, which food & water watch has fought against in order to protect communities from exposure to harmful pollution. weltman says that the pandemic has not slowed down the progress on this campaign or any of the other work that his organization continues to do. 

“we have a range of tools at our disposal to interact with people. and let’s be clear, i mean, we love to see people,” weltman said. “we miss seeing a lot of our favorite activists and allies face to face but….we’ve got twitter, we’ve got facebook, we’ve got email, we’ve got texting, we’ve got zoom, we’ve got instagram — even old-fashioned telephones.”

weltman continued to list all of the ways food & water watch has adapted to the pandemic including calling elected officials, hosting webinars, and sending out petitions. in the past, the nonprofit rented buses to transport people from new york city to albany to lobby in the state’s capital. now, inspired by the marches for black lives matter, weltman and his colleagues have held outdoor rallies where people are required to socially distance and wear masks. 

despite not being able to meet with fellow activists or speak with elected officials in person, weltman has found the silver lining to an online approach. 

“you’re able to invite more people to attend and are able to invite more guest speakers. if you want to hold a zoom meeting and have a guest speaker from, you know, los angeles or honolulu or wherever, you just do it,” he said. “people are still craving connection and we’re providing it.”

just a little more than 60 miles north of new york city on the hudson river, one of the organizations that food & water watch works with faces its own battle with access to clean water. in the historical district of newburgh, generations of people have been plagued by a variety of illnesses including cancer and compromised immune systems. the newburgh clean water project (ncwp) believes the source of this hardship is the long-term contamination of their community’s water sources. 

“so we’re fighting lead in our water pipes and in our paint,” said tamsin hollo, one of ncwp’s steering committee members. “we’re fighting the pfas. we’re fighting pcbs in the hudson river. we’re fighting generations of manufacturing pollution. and most recently, we’re fighting this massive fracked gas power plant expansion just three miles from the center of newburgh.”

according to the environmental protection agency (epa), pfas is an umbrella term for man-made chemicals that do not break down easily over time and have been shown to result in a number of health issues including low birth weight for infants, compromised immune systems, thyroid problems and cancer. pcbs are organic chemicals used in industrial and commercial processes that can result in cancer, neurological issues and many other health problems. 

deborah brown, also a member of the steering committee and one of the people who founded ncwp in 2017, said that continuous industrialization has created a cycle of pollution, beginning with the construction of the stewart air national guard base in 1934. 

“the (new york state) department of health dropped our watershed from its maps very conveniently to allow the (new york state) department of transportation and the new york new jersey port authority to build a highway right on our watersheds,” brown said. “there are storm drains so if there was some kind of accident, if there was some kind of spill of chemicals or anything, it goes right into our reservoir.”

according to the u.s. census bureau, newburgh’s population is mostly latino and african american. the epa has recognized that environmental issues disproportionately impact communities of color and that these communities do not receive the same protections that predominantly white areas do. on top of this, the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) found that communities of color have been at a higher risk from covid-19 due to “long-standing systemic health and social inequities.” 

“there definitely is a trend. i think just the term ‘environmental justice community’ was coined because of the relationship between poverty, race, and contamination,” brown said. “when you go around the country, where does the coal ash go? where do all the really toxic end products of the american lifestyle go? they tend to go to the places where poor people live and where people are the least listened to.” 

to combat these issues, ncwp successfully advocated to expand blood testing for harmful chemicals by the new york state department of health and demanded that the information also be provided in spanish. before the pandemic, ncwp held in-person events where people would break bread and share information to be prepared when different government agencies like the department of defense held community meetings about pollution coming from the air base. ncwp also held watershed tours where people could go see how the streams running near big box stores like kohl’s and home depot carried trash into various water sources. 

now during the pandemic, the grassroots organization continues to work with colleagues like food & water watch to campaign against a number of issues such as preventing a power plant in newburgh that operates only a few days each year from becoming a fracked gas plant that would operate year-round. throughout new york, 150 elected officials, including members of the state senate and state assembly, signed a letter urging cuomo to stop the upgrade of danskammer generating station and prevent newburgh residents from being exposed to “the brunt of air pollution.” 

“right here, right now, this community cannot survive yet another source of pollution,” hollo said.

in addition to partnering with other organizations, ncwp also relies on social media and webinars to get the word out on the dangers of contaminated water and fossil fuel emissions. according to hollo, who runs ncwp’s social media accounts, there are pros and cons to strictly virtual advocacy. 

“not having that face to face interaction, not having something on paper, i think, has not been the best way to reach out to our communities of color,” she said. 

hollo went on to explain that many people in her community only speak spanish or french creole but because ncwp is a small volunteer-based grassroots organization with limited funding, they can’t afford instant translation for webinars and other online events.  

“i guess i’ll just say it’s a double-edged sword,” she said. “you may think you’re reaching, you know, hundreds of thousands of people and you are, but are you reaching all the people for whom this is the most important issue and for whom this is really a life threatening issue?”

despite these limitations, both brown and hollo have been astonished with how effectively social media has mobilized young people. 

“young people have created a different way of voicing their concerns and certainly the latinx community has definitely come out strong in newburgh against danskammer (power plant),” hollo said. 

she also noted that many of the older members of the community were concerned about their vulnerability to covid-19 and were unable to protest in person, creating a unique call to action. 

“(young people) had to carry the torch and they did it beautifully,” hollo said. 

one organization has used social media as not only a tool for change but as a way to create a network of young climate advocates. new york youth climate leaders (ny2cl) is a coalition of 70 individual groups across new york state, founded in november 2019. the leaders of the organization are either in their late teens or completing their first semester of college, while members across the state range from middle schoolers to college undergraduates. the coalition focuses on policy surrounding fossil fuels, renewable energy, health care, and the green new deal. 

according to social media director sophie campbell, ny2cl has taken advantage of the digital space by organizing virtual strikes, creating a social media campaign to support the new york fossil fuel divestment act, pushing petitions on multiple platforms, and encouraging people to call elected officials such as cuomo and new york state senate majority leader andrea stewart-cousins. the organization also created a podcast and hosts informational webinars with guest speakers and panels. 

“i think the biggest thing was figuring out how to do our events and actions virtually,” campbell said. “social media has really been the key to activism and just keeping the climate movement alive during the pandemic.” 

even though ny2cl has fully embraced online tools for activism, campbell recognizes the limitations of not being able to conduct business as usual in person. 

“climate anxiety is very real, especially in youth organizers, and taking away that socialization aspect makes it very difficult to keep going and keep fighting all the time,” she said. “but i think that, you know, we’re getting through it. and we’re finding ways to have more fun, engaging in activities, not just activism, because i think that with everyone doing school virtually, and being on zoom all day every day, people are less excited to get on the call for climate organizing.” 

to prevent members from feeling isolated or disengaged, campbell has incorporated more art and activities into her social media strategy. 

during earth week, ny2cl held a climate art challenge where people could post individual creations inspired by the environment. the organization also hosted a virtual open mic via instagram, launched the #hugsomethinggreen challenge and drew slogans with chalk about divesting from fossil fuels in front of stewart-cousins’ office.

“we’re working on a lot more kinds of artistic, creative projects for our social media, for our website, for engagement, because i think that art and activism is incredibly important to the climate movement, both for engagement and (because) it’s just such a good way to spread awareness.” 

despite the variety of strategies and individual obstacles, all three organizations agreed on the importance of continuing their work during the pandemic. 

“climate change is the greatest threat that humanity faces because now, more than ever, we need access to safe (and) clean food, air, and water,” said food & water watch’s eric weltman.

sustainability is something that is becoming more of a necessity for colleges and universities to not only answer a call to action from students but to have a more positive effect on the planet. the suny system is doing their part with its clean energy roadmap that all suny schools must follow. 

the new plan, released by the suny chancellor in april, coincides with new york gov. andrew cuomo’s plan to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030. with more than 60 campuses and almost a half million students enrolled in the suny system, the universities are taking on a huge burden to make their schools more sustainable. 

the suny system has been known to take climate issues seriously and enact change. according to a suny report starting back in 1990, the system was able to cut its carbon emissions by 770,000 metric tons by 2017, which was a 25% decrease in that span. becoming more environmentally friendly also has been a better decision financially for suny since in the last decade they have saved more than $19 million in energy costs. 

kevin rice, the director of plant and energy management at suny brockport, said there are certain challenges when it comes to making a campus less harmful to the environment — even at smaller schools like brockport, with only around 10,000 enrolled underclassmen.

“i believe any transition to eco-friendly systems is about even for all sized institutes. it’s really dependent upon access to investment money,” rice said via email.

since the sustainability program was first announced, suny brockport already has accomplished some green initiatives on campus.

“the college has replaced around 80% of our boilers to high efficient models with variable frequency drives for circulation,” rice said. “we have had multiple small projects to upgrade almost 90% of our lighting to led. we have radically improved our energy control systems and now have close to 25,000 control points in our system that controls hvacr (heating ventilation air conditioning and refrigeration) in all buildings.”

but these are just highlights from one institution. all the colleges in the suny system are working together to make sure the goals proposed in the roadmap are being met. albany has become the headquarters for the clean energy roadmap. there other schools can communicate and plan the best course of action of managing their waste and energy, according to rice. 

communication is “mostly led by the suny energy management office in albany,” rice said. “they use workshops, conferences, webinars and newsletters to get info out. lots of ideas and best practices shared.”

outside of albany a school that has been able to lead by example is suny stony brook. according to dean tufts who is the vice president of facilities and services at stony brook, who cited the university’s past when it comes to energy conservation.

“we are proud to help lead not only suny, but all of new york state, when it comes to energy conservation,” tufts said. “suny is the largest consumer of energy of all the new york state agencies, and stony brook university is the largest consumer within suny.  with stony brook representing 18% of suny’s total energy use, and 8% of the total energy used in all new york state-owned buildings, we understand and embrace our responsibility to help lead this effort,” tufts added.

the plan suny proposed aims to create a more energy-efficient campuses by enforcing new building efficiency standards and new practices for energy management, as well as a new clean energy taskforce to oversee the whole system of schools. 

the suny system also wants to become a driving force in energy efficiency, with plans to use its research facilities to help drive innovations in the area.

stony brook already has eliminated more than 16,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions while saving $50 million with energy-saving upgrades, and received $500,000 in energy efficiency rebates, according to a report by long island business news. stony brook is also set to receive $79 million from gov. cuomo. the school plans to use this funding to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 28,000 tons, worth an additional $6 million in energy savings.

tufts stated how the school has saved millions.

“in spite of the campus adding nearly 1.5 million square feet of buildings since 2010, stony brook university’s energy conservation projects along with better operation of our central plants have reduced our energy usage by 16%. by the end of 2020, our energy reduction will equate to more than $12 million in avoided utility costs annually,” tufts said.

as suny becomes a leader in sustainability people can look at this as a sign that more and more institutions like colleges are taking the threat that is climate change very seriously, which would help keep the planet clean for generations to come.

as president obama famously said in 2014, “this generation is the first that will feel the effects of climate change and the last that can do anything about it.”

as a result, many countries, cities, and states from around the globe have vowed to enact policies to curb carbon emissions. according to the american council for an energy-efficient economy, the u.s. currently spends $60 billion to $115 billion on energy efficiency improvements each year. although these investments are being driven by government policies, energy consulting firms are on the front lines, ensuring smart, strategic, and sustainable investments are being made.

one such company is lilker emo energy solutions. based out of falls church, virginia, lilker is a small energy consulting firm that specializes in providing sustainable solutions to their clients. although lilker has fewer than 10 full time employees, it has become a major player at helping organizations, business, and consumers reduce their carbon footprints throughout the dmv (d.c./maryland/virginia) area.

steve hearn, a project manager at lilker who leads their residential team sees his job as one that “is on the cutting edge of the modern economy.” clients reach out to lilker when they are looking to make energy improvements to both existing buildings and newly designed ones. through preforming energy audits, energy modeling, and commissioning consultants at lilker are able to identify effective ways to reduce energy output and gain certifications like leed, well, energy star, and egc. 

as one of the leading energy consulting companies in the dmv area, lilker has had the opportunity to take on projects for their clients all across the country. one project that stood out to justin baker, managing director at lilker, was one he completed 8 years ago for the alice ferguson foundation. in this project, he had the opportunity to oversee work on a living building. living buildings are hard to find and even harder to build.

by definition, they are buildings that are net positive energy, water, and waste. baker found this project to be “exceptionally challenging because of all the different requirements that go into a building like that.” currently, there are only 9 certified living buildings in the dmv area and baker sees them as “a major step in the right direction. if people understand that its possible for a building to do more good than harm to the environment, then that’s a great mindset to have for the future.”

hearn also has had the opportunity to oversee eye-opening projects over his tenure at lilker. in 2010, the national park service contacted lilker about wanting to make energy improvements at some of their remote sites in alaska. for two weeks, hearn performed energy audits in buildings all across the tongass national forest, often taking “puddle jumper flights” to travel from site to site.

for hearn “it was a really cool experience to work in such an incredible region, and it really put it into perspective how important it is to preserve places like that.”

according to the alaskan center for climate assessment and policy (accap), the tongass national forest is vulnerable to climate change, noting that “the future will likely be different than both what we see now, and what we have seen in the past.” the work that both baker and hearn do is, and will continue to be, instrumental in ensuring that great environmental treasures are not lost to the impacts of climate change. 

lilker emo energy solutions was first founded in 1998 and since then, the industry has changed greatly. baker has been working with lilker since 2008 and has been encouraged by recent trends. “back when i first started, energy efficiency standards were fringe topics that often were looked at as a premium. now, people are much more knowledgeable about all the certifications and instead of them being a premium we are now seeing them as the norm.”

this should continue with the passage of the dc omnibus act of 2018. going into effect in last month, it mandates that d.c. transitions to 100% renewable energy by 2032. “i give d.c. a lot of credit for being progressive on this,” baker says. “hopefully people now understand that building owners have a responsibility to protect the environment.”

this bill will open up many opportunities for firms like lilker but also many challenges.

according to hearn, “the dc omnibus bill sets a goal in place but doesn’t solve all the logistical problems that go along with making this transitioning so quickly.”

this is one reason why both hearn and baker have begun attending local state energy commissions such as the dmv net zero coalition. this is a coalition of energy experts, policy makers, and academics who just recently starting meeting and are working to discover and drive solutions to achieving a net carbon future. for lilker, “efficiency is always the first piece of the puzzle,” says hearn, “but from attending these meetings it is clear that it isn’t the only piece.”

as is common in an industry of high forecasted growth, it is important to cultivate the next generation of energy professions. lilker understands this and has had an ongoing intern program for the past 5 years.

nathaniel waldman, a senior at george washington university has been an intern at lilker for the last 8 months. waldman has had the opportunity to see projects through from beginning to end over his time at lilker, describing his experience thus far as “eye opening.” one, that contributed most to his growth, was the preservation partners project. through this, he says he gained “a greater appreciation for the construction process and the major effort it takes on the part of green building specialists to ensure that the builders meet requirements.”

with the passage of the dc omnibus act, this challenge will surely grow for lilker. but hearn knows that “it’s an exciting time to be in this industry, there is so much opportunity on the horizon and it’s important to take full advantage of it.” the question now is, will they? 

according to the 2017 annual united nations report on world food security and nutrition, the number of people affected by hunger has increased by 38 million since 2016. as 11% of the global population suffers from hunger, violent conflicts and climate-related shocks are predicted to only exacerbate the trend.

lee was no stranger to the concept of hunger when he launched rescuing leftover cuisine. as a child of korean immigrants, he grew up witnessing the power of hard work and the beauty of the american dream. he also experienced what it was like to be hungry, despite living in the land of “the supersized meal.” he would think: “how can 1 in 7 people in america be hungry while 40% of all food in the united states gets tossed annually?” (a stat from the national resources defense council.)

where others saw a frustrating paradox between food waste and global hunger, lee identified an opportunity. using his financial background he calculated that this wastage could serve 58,064,516,129 meals (based on the national average of $2.79/meal). with the inspiration of a college organization, lee partnered with classmate, louisa chen, to tackle hunger by launching rescuing leftover cuisine. the mission was simple: help the hungry by saving quality food that would otherwise go to waste.

a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, rescuing leftover cuisine partners with restaurants to rescue quality leftover food and ensure it reaches those who need it. since the organization’s new york launch in 2013, the model has thrived. in 5 years, they have rescued 2.1 million pounds of food, created 1.6 million meals for the hungry, prevented more than 330 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents from being emitted into the environment, and expanded to 16 cities — and even more are interested. rescuing leftover cuisine selected their new cities from 300 eager branch applicants.

when asked “what makes this company so successful?” lee immediately points to the mission: eliminating food waste by feeding hungry families. every aspect of the organization is intentional and purpose driven. his goal for food efficiency is reflected in the organization’s operational efficiencies. for instance, transportation between the partner restaurants and homeless shelters is crowd sourced and volunteer run. a key factor in the organization’s success is this localized engagement. again, technology enables rescuing leftover cuisine to communicate seamlessly between partner restaurants and volunteers. a web application allows restaurants to report excess food and volunteers to be notified accordingly. rescuing leftover cuisine further promotes efficiency by offering reports and analyses to partner restaurants of their excess food purchases and suggestions on how to avoid food waste. “even if this means less donated food in the short-term,” explained lee, “it will contribute to more positive long-term impacts.”

rescuing leftover cuisine is led by determined and passionate people with a background in this work. lee himself spent four years at new york university learning about saving quality food with a campus club that took cafeteria leftovers to local homeless shelters. he combines that experience with his academic and professional background in finance to guide the non-profit to success. after spending just a few minutes speaking with lee, you will note his commitment to due diligence and his contagious enthusiasm for this work.

while he fights hunger directly by connecting the hungry with quality food, lee is also thinking about the future. “climate change is a key issue in our organization,” he says. “when the 40% of food wasted annually in the u.s. reaches a landfill, it generates methane.” methane is a greenhouse gas that is 23 times as potent as carbon dioxide in trapping heat within the atmosphere. “we eat three meals a day,” lee explained, “if we can get people thinking about their impact on this level, we can make a clear difference.”

lee’s diligent work ethic and forward thinking helped land him a spot on forbes 30 under 30 list for social entrepreneurship. it is evident that saving the rest of the metaphorical big apple is only the beginning for rescuing leftover cuisine. with a model that has proven successful and scalable, the organization plans to focus on increasing impact across its 16 cities in the near-term. rescuing leftover cuisine’s focus on community-driven change is helping tackle global hunger one city (and leftover) at a time.

what will it take to reach this goal? the intergovernmental panel on climate change, a coalition of climate scientists from around the globe, have laid out the maximum amount of co2 that can be emitted into the atmosphere while still maintaining the 2°c increase in temperature. this threshold is called the carbon budget.

what is the carbon budget?

to understand the carbon budget that the ipcc has created, we must understand the timeline of carbon pollution.

according to the union of concerned scientists, the estimated total carbon released in the atmosphere between 1751 and 2014 was 1,480 gigatons. of this, 743 gigatons (or 50.2%) of all emissions came after 1988.

the mercator institute of research on global commons and climate change has estimated that we have about 760 gigatons left in our carbon budget as of 2017. they also estimate at present, the world is still emitting 40 gigatons a year. if nations around the world do not commit to the objectives in the paris climate agreement, we are looking at an exhaustion of our carbon budget in just 19 years.

the ipcc has estimated that we’ve currently spent over half of our carbon budget which stands at 2,240 gigatons of carbon, putting us on track to see over 2°c of warming within the next three decades if we stay on our current course.

using the ipcc model for the carbon budget, carbon brief has concluded that as of 2017, we only have 4 years left until we inevitably surpass 1.5°c of global warming. however, their analysis also showed that as of 2016, emission rates have been slowing down, suggesting signs of peaking.

why all the fuss about 2°c?

there is a common consensus within the scientific community that we must limit the remainder of our carbon budget to stay within 2°c in warming. when climate scientists were first figuring out the effects of co2 on the atmosphere back in the 1970’s – “early calculations suggested that if we doubled the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over pre-industrial levels, the earth would warm somewhere between 1.5°c and 4.5°c,” according to vox.

the next question was: how much of this warming can humans tolerate with minimal danger to human life? temperature graphing has shown throughout human history, humans have lived within a temperature range that fluctuates between -1/1° celsius. it becomes increasingly worrisome to think of a world where temperatures are more than double the upper limit that humans have ever experienced.

the scientific community has a wide range of assessments calculating the risks global warming could pose to human life.

we’ve already seen the increased risks that our current carbon output has produced:

wildfires tend to be associated with hotter, drier weather, meaning that an increased climate is prone to producing more wildfires.

the oceans, at the current level they are rising, will put millions of lives at risk. as ocean surges continue to wreak havoc on our coastal cities, mass migrations are sure to ensue, causing political and economic turmoil for the more than 1 billion people living in low-lying areas.

increasing ocean temperatures have been linked to higher frequencies of more intense hurricanes. severe rainfall occurrences will increase along the eastern coast of the u.s  as a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture: “we think that harvey type of rainfalls will become noticeably more frequent as the century goes on,” said kerry emanuel, an atmospheric scientist at mit.

extreme droughts in areas like california and the midwest, are expected to increase as temperatures rise, resulting in severe agricultural damage and water shortages around the world.

these extreme weather related events already are becoming more frequent, and the earth hasn’t even reached the 1.5° c mark yet. if we can’t keep temperatures from surpassing 2°c, the risks to human life are only going to get worse.

we’ve got to make the budget but how?

“it is still not too late to limit the warming. staying below 2°c requires social, financial, and technical actions by 2020 on a global scale,” said veerabhadran ramanathan, chair of the committee and distinguished professor at the scripps institution of oceanography in san diego.

elsewhere in the united states, social action is being taken by governors, mayors, public officials, and educational and business leaders who have signed on to the we are still in pact. this agreement represents one third of the u.s. population and their mission is to meet the goals set out in the paris climate agreement, even if the federal government does not intend to.

and according to the new york times, the united states already has delivered $1 billion of the $3 billion in financial aid it has agreed to pay under the paris climate agreement, to assist poor nations in the fight against climate change.

technological action also is on the rise as negative emissions technologies, such as biomass energy with carbon capture and storage (beccs for short), are receiving increased attention in the climate science community.

ultimately though, we need global cooperation to combat climate change, and the paris climate agreement was a great first step. we have the means to reach the carbon budget, we just need the political will and global pressure to keep the earth on track to staying under 2°c.

while waiting in line before doors outside your favorite venue, you may not be thinking about what it’s taken to make that show happen. but consider how you got there: maybe you took the metro or a bus, maybe you biked or walked, or maybe you drove, or used a ride-sharing app. if you take a look at the top 100 tours of 2015 (which sold about 60 million tickets) fans traveled approximately 240 million miles to get to shows, emitting 58,000 metric tons of co2. roughly 130 million paper goods were used (which is about 160,000 trees), and approximately 60 million plastic water bottles were sold, the equivalent of 48,000 barrels of oil. between 80 and 90 percent of carbon emissions related to concerts come from fan transportation.

venues can set up bike valets at shows, encourage carpooling by offering priority parking for those who share rides, and offer incentives at the venue for fans who use mass transportation.

artists can work with ticketing agencies to allow fans to add a $1 or $2 donation to their ticket purchase for carbon offsets. since 2008, more than 50,000 of jack johnson’s fans have offset nearly 10 million pounds of carbon, which is the equivalent of planting 250 million trees. if just 10% of the concert goers who normally drive took public transit or carpooled, 35 million pounds of carbon would be prevented from entering the atmosphere per year. it would take 800,000 trees being planted every year to scrub that much carbon!

tours:

you may not have considered what it’s taken to get the band to that gig either; given roughly 30 shows across the continent in a single tour, they’re covering a lot of miles. sure, booking agents try very hard to route efficiently, but sometimes scheduling just doesn’t work, and a band may end up bouncing from dc to boston and back to philly in the space of three days. and what if they have to fly? or if their production requires multiple trailers filled with gear? the economic impact (both in cost and revenue) is huge, but the environmental impact is even greater.

the sustainable biodiesel alliance has suggested using biodiesel, a renewable fuel that’s made from vegetable oil or animal fat. artists like willie nelson and pearl jam have begun using biodiesel exclusively, which burns almost 80 percent cleaner than petroleum diesel and can be used in blends as well. any reduction in the use of traditional fossil fuels (and their related emissions) helps.

consider as well the amount of waste that a single tour may generate; when you’ve got four or five exhausted musicians packed onto a bus for ages, those cans and bottles and cups and plates add up. in fact, artists like radiohead who strictly use reusable water containers can keep 18,000 plastic bottles out of the garbage per tour. these can be refilled at rest stop water fountains or grocery stores instead of buying cases and cases of bottled water, and more artists are beginning to request that the venue provide water coolers backstage for use with refillable water bottles in their riders.

live nation recently partnered with ups for the shipment of tickets, merchandise, and production equipment for their nearly 20,000 annual events, saving more than 300,000 sheets of paper/year and offsetting 3,800 metric tons of co2 emissions from over 425,000 gallons of gasoline.

facilities:

as new venues are built and many older venues age to the point of renovation, architects and construction firms are looking to achieve any level of leadership in energy and environmental design (leed) certification. in 2013, the iconic carnegie hall was retrofitted with an automated central heating, venting and air conditioning (hvac) control system, analyzing electricity demand and usage in order to reduce waste in the power grid. its 10,000 square foot roof terrace was redone with reflective pavers and plantings to reduce the heat island effect, and new led bulbs and occupancy sensors couple with the natural light allowed into the building through 450 upper windows to further reduce electrical waste, while low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce the building’s water consumption.

improvements facilities can make are both internal and external. venues should promote sustainable practices to their fans (i.e. encouraging carpooling or the re-use of plastic cups and glasses) while also seeking local vendors/sources to provide food ingredients and even alcohol (regional micro-breweries are on the rise) without the economic and environmentally costly impact of shipping across the country or even the globe.

the amway center became the first multi-purpose/nba facility to earn a leed certification by using 20% less energy and 40% less water than other similarly sized arenas, and brooklyn bowl was one of the first music venues (and bowling alleys) to do so as well. the adoption of similar design practices with a focus on efficiency and sustainable building and operations materials is beginning to spread through the world of entertainment facilities, and will continue to do so with the encouragement and support of you, the attendees.

that’s right, every gallon of gasoline emits 20 pounds of co2 into the environment.

a gallon of gasoline only weighs a little over 6 pounds, but co2 is created from combining the carbon with oxygen in the environment which means that the weight of the gasoline in your car more than triples in the amount of emissions released through your exhaust pipe.

what changes can we make?

we all have a number of options to lower the amount of vehicle emissions released each day. below are four simple ways to stop emitting 5 – 9 tons of co2 automobile emissions each year.

1. choose a car that gets better mileage.
   having a car that gets better mpg means you are putting less vehicle emissions into the air. the epa and u.s. department of energy have a great comparison tool to help consumers find the right car for them when considering gas mileage.
2. walk, bike, or take public transportation.
   if you’re close enough to walk or bike to work, or even to the store, you are making nearly a 100% difference in the amount of vehicle emissions you are producing. even if walking or biking to work is not feasible, consider taking public transportation when you can. you will not only be helping the environment, but also your wallet.
3. carpool
   get to work in the fast lane and split save money and reduce pollution doing it. carpooling is a great option if you are looking to save money, the environment, and have a few buddies at the office who live nearby you. many areas have carpool lanes that will let you get to and from work much quicker, and everybody will be splitting the fuel cost.
4. use low-carbon fuels
   using ethanol, cng, or other even cleaner automobile fuels (electric car?) can help reduce co2 pollution when you are driving.

what will fuel your change? 

john perrino is a senior majoring in political communication at the george washington university. julia blakely is a senior majoring in journalism at the george washington university.

the main objective of this study was to develop a novel flowsheet for extracting valuable metal oxides from coal ash wastes and to develop a suitable process to utilize them as a useful product in the form of a cement-less concrete. we used totally waste materials to produce some useful metals and also cement-less concrete with much less carbon footprint. we not only left nothing behind as waste but also helped the climate and prevented global warming by decreasing carbon dioxide production.

the sodium hydroxide/carbonate solution that results from step 1 is pumped into an electrolysis cell through which an electric current is passed. the electricity results in the release of the carbon dioxide which is collected and stored for subsequent reaction.

optionally, a dehumidifier condenses the water out of the air that is being passed into the sodium hydroxide spray tower. the condensed water is passed into an electrolyser where an electric current splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen. water might be obtained from any source so long as it is or can be made pure enough to be placed in the electrolyser.

the carbon dioxide and hydrogen are reacted together to make a hydrocarbon mixture, the reaction conditions being varied depending on the type of fuel that is required.

there are a number of reaction paths already in existence and well known in industrial chemistry that may be used to make the fuels.

thus a reverse-water-gas shift reaction may be used to convert a carbon dioxide/water mixture to a carbon monoxide/hydrogen mixture called syn gas. the syn gas mixture can then be further reacted to form the desired fuels using the fisher-tropsch (ft) reaction.

alternatively, the syn gas may be reacted to form methanol and the methanol used to make fuels via the mobil methanol-to gasoline reaction (mtg).

for the future, it is highly likely that reactions can be developed whereby carbon dioxide and hydrogen can be directly reacted to fuels.

the afd product will require the addition of the same additives used in current fuels to ease starting, burn cleanly and avoid corrosion problems, to turn the raw fuel into a full marketable product. however as a product it can be blended directly with gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel.